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The part-time faculty union, ACT-UAW Local 7902 of the New School and NYU, is gravely concerned with the New School administration's
harsh response to the student protesters who occupied a university building at 65 Fifth Avenue on April 10, 2009. President
Kerrey's decision to summon a massive police presence in reaction to a peaceful student occupation of a university building
slated for demolition is symptomatic of the lack of democratic governance that sparked the protest in the first place.
ACT-UAW notes that the university's own recent decision to modify the suspensions of the New School students involved,
allowing them to complete the semester, constitutes tacit recognition that they are not, in fact, a threat.
In
view of the declaredly non-violent intentions of the April 10 protest, the dangerously disproportionate administration response,
and the many doubts that have emerged about the veracity of some administration claims concerning key events of April 10,
we urge that all charges against the protesters be dropped.
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The part-time faculty union, ACT-UAW Local 7902 of the New School and NYU, is gravely concerned with the Kerrey administration's
harsh response to the New School students who recently occupied 65 Fifth Avenue, including a massive show of police force.
President Kerrey's statement about the protest focused only on allegations of student misconduct, ignoring the
serious issues raised by the protesters.
We call on the administration to immediately revoke the suspensions of
students pending a full investigation of all allegations.
The question should be asked why student dissatisfaction
with the administration needs to be expressed in the occupation of a university building. In our view, this protest is symptomatic
of the administration's failure to foster a healthy and democratic educational community at the New School.
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